Tag: dinosaur

As I have mentioned before, we keep a token economy in the house. Caleb can earn stars which he can use to buy books, he can earn money to save, and he can earn money to pay for trips. So far this summer, he has paid for a trip to Sea Life Aquarium and Lego Land, and most recently, a trip to the zoo with the ultimate experience, including Dinosauria. We even bought tickets that allowed us to feed a giraffe. Caleb was not very well behaved with the giraffe, but each one of us got a turn, and it was really cool.

Each trip, he has paid for himself, my husband, my husband’s parents, and me. Now, I have incredibly generous parents-in-law who like to pay for themselves (I ask them to just put the money back in Caleb’s trip fund).

In order to make each trip easier, Caleb (via me) has prepaid for the tickets and then set aside money to spend on gifts and stuff. Caleb is not really good at standing in line, so any obstacles we can remove ahead of time, the better.

This past Friday, all 5 of us went to the zoo, and like I mentioned before, we got the ultimate experience. I would totally recommend it.

First we saw the penguins and then the reptiles, and worked our way past the camels and zebras, and found the entrance to Dinosauria. It was super freaking cool. The dinosaurs moved and made noises. There were not just adult dinosaurs, but whole families or packs. Lots of adorable little babies hatching out of eggs and such. I also got spit on right on my crotch, so it looked like I peed myself – it was pretty funny.

We saw lemurs, a beautiful lion, a grizzly bear, and seals.

Everyone at the zoo was very kind; we have been to the Detroit Zoo since Caleb was a baby, and we have always had a wonderful time. The workers there are incredibly understanding when it comes to Caleb’s behavior. I have never had a negative experience with a single zoo worker. That is another reason why it is worth the expense.

I have to admit, my phone died about halfway through our 4 hour tour (yes, 4 hours. Yes, I was exhausted.) because I was so busy catching pokemon and spinning pokestops. I caught about 25 squirtles. I know, I know, so silly, but it is something Caleb and I were able to focus on when he was getting tired. Plus, fine, I like it too. Fine. I’ll admit it. I like pokemon. Anyway…

We decided to not to take the train from the Africa stop all the way down to the exit because we wanted to stop at the experience center; our tickets allowed us entrance to a 4D movie or a simulation ride. We got there right at 1pm, right as the sea monster 4D movie was about to begin. I have to say, it was fun. Plus, Caleb sat through the entire 15 minutes, which is a pretty big deal. He was super tired, near tears, but sat through a short movie. (btw, we passed a family that was really tired but didn’t have the money to buy train tickets, so we gave them ours. We all were so happy that we could help someone else and that happiness gave us a little extra energy to get through the rest of the trip.)

4 hours was too long for Caleb and he was pretty miserable on the way out. He had to be carried for a while and tears were streaming down his face. We offered to take him to the gift shop; I offered him $50 that he could spend either at the shop or on anything else he wanted. He asked for some candy (I just paid for it); when I suggested he use the rest of his money to pay for the interactive globe he has been wanting for months, he instantly jumped at the chance. Again, here is Caleb, exhausted and overstimulated and he is making wise choices. I was super proud. Still am.

Overall, the 5 of us going to the zoo was about $150. This is definitely not something that we can afford every month; that said, I feel like we got our money’s worth out of the experience. We did bring all our own food and drinks, which makes a huge difference money-wise.

We had such a good time, we are looking into getting a zoo membership.
5/5 stars!